Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Pegasus (Peg)  ·  Contains:  M 15  ·  NGC 7078
M15 , Pablo Lewin
M15
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M15

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M15 is about 33,600 light-years from Earth, and 175 light years in diameter.[9] It has an absolute magnitude of -9.2, which translates to a total luminosity of 360,000 times that of the Sun. Messier 15 is one of the most densely packed globulars known in the Milky Way galaxy. Its core has undergone a contraction known as 'core collapse' and it has a central density cusp with an enormous number of stars surrounding what may be a central black hole.[10]

Home to over 100,000 stars,[9] the cluster is notable for containing a large number of variable stars (112) and pulsars (8), including one double neutron star system, M15 C. M15 also contains Pease 1, the first planetary nebula discovered within a globular cluster[11] in 1928. Just three others have been found in globular clusters since then.[12]

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M15 , Pablo Lewin